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Aren't these basically the same as spamfics? If these are banned, why
aren't all spamfics banned? I find it disconcerting to see something I
enjoy reading being banned from the list merely because enough people
don't like receiving them. Like so many people have said before, if you
don't want to read them delete them. *shrug* This definitely wasn't
what I joined the mailing list for.
I can sympathize with this point of view. One of the reasons I was on the FFML
originally was because I enjoyed the spamfics. That's irregardless of the valid points
made below.
There's a few things you need to understand when you make comments
like this.
1. The FFML is designed to handle high volumes of traffic, but during
the adfic challenge, the traffic has been abnormally high. Coupled
with normal list traffic, the adfic traffic has probably put a strain
on the server.
2. The adfic challenge is also putting a strain on the servers of
anyone receiving mail from the FFML, and more than likely has plugged
up several mailboxes to the point where incoming messages began
bouncing, resulting in those people who aren't cleaning out their
mailboxes being bounced from the list due to bounced mails.
3. The adfic challenge got out of control. It ran far longer than
anyone expected. I personally expected it to be forgotten entirely
within 24 hours...it went on for four days. That's more than long
enough for *anything* to go on around here.
All three of these points are valid. However, this raises an important question which I
will pose at the end of this email.
4. Adfics and spamfics are now two different things.
5. Spamfics are fine, but we really need to be concentrating on
*fanfics* around here.
That is patently false. A "spamfic" is also a fanfic, usually of a more silly nature,
where no plot is advanced. There is nothing inherently wrong with a spamfic as
opposed to a fanfic. We all have different tastes.
6. There is no 6.
7. Think about what would happen to those of us who are obligated (or
feel thusly obligated) to hang onto, and archive, all of these
things. I expect to be spending most of the night tomorrow night,
during the Godzilla marathon on TNT, getting these things ready to go
up on the web, thus distracting from what I would otherwise be doing,
which would be either updating the *rest* of my site which is in sore
need of it, or working on the next chapter of Suiseiki. I'm not the
only one trying to archive these things, either. It's going to eat up
a *lot* of time to sort through these. Now, imagine what would happen
if somebody didn't rein this thing in. A lot of good adfics would
probably disappear through the cracks because the people archiving
them lack the time and interest to keep on going. And the adfics
would continue, until everyone got so sick of them they started
accidentally deleting more important e-mails in the midst of a mass
adfic purge...I'm sure, in fact, that this has already happened to
more than a few people. In time, we'd eventually start killfiling the
repeat offenders, and if it kept on going, about half the subscribers
of the FFML would probably leave due to the flood of adfics filling
up their mailboxes faster than they could delete them.
Granted, that's probably blowing it a little out of proportion, but I
hope you get the general idea that too much of a good thing isn't
always a good thing.
You are, very likely, blowing it a "little" out of proportion. Granted, though, the
current volume of adfics is too much, at least in Tybalt's opinion (and only
his counts), for the list to support. Granted, this does interfere with most people's
ability to keep up with FFML mail, while dealing with personal mail and other email
traffic. However...here's the rub.
As I stated above, adfics (which are spamfics) are also, by definition, fanfics. If we
are at the very least tempbanning a certain kind of fanfic to lower the traffic level, then
we need to step back and consider the ramifications of this. What does this mean
for the future of the FFML?
We currently have about 800 subscribers (at last count, which was several weeks
ago). That means that the list server currently has quite a lot to handle with the
"normal" mail load, not to mention the people on the receiving end. What do we do if
the list keeps growing? Can the list be divided among two server machines? Is
White Wolf even willing to purchase another machine to host the list?
If it's possible, though difficult, for most people to keep up under normal FFML traffic,
but next to impossible when the traffic gets even *mildly* heavy, what are we going to
do if the list keeps growing? What are we going to do to keep traffic down to more
manageable levels, even if it doesn't keep growing?
When Tybalt first came on as "semi-moderator", White Wolf agreed that it wasn't a
perfect solution, but was necessary to keep the traffic down to manageable levels. I
agreed with that, at the time. Previously, however, I had suggested a few different
approaches, most of which involved dividing up the list in one manner or another. It
was pointed out to me that a lot of people would end up joining all of the sub-ML's
anyway, so this wasn't a good solution.
Maybe it's time to start thinking about a better solution to the traffic problem again,
before it gets any worse. Please don't reply to this on the FFML. Replies in private
are fine. And of course, comments, discussion, and of course spamfics/adfics, are
always welcome on the "Fanfic Discussion ML", commonly known as the Spam ML.
Send an email to anime-request@anime.usacomputers.net with "subscribe" in the
subject, if you're interested in subscribing. We currently have about 40 subbers.
Posts can go to anime@anime.usacomputers.net, but you knew that.
I have one suggestion, though. Maybe it's time to start seriously considering making
the FFML into a newsgroup, even with all of the new perils and pitfalls associated
with that. I mean, maybe it's just getting too big for *anyone* to keep track of.
Damon Casale, damoo@jps.net
The twilight of the FFML...depressing, innit?